SUMMERSVILLE, WV (LOOTPRESS) – Students in Nicholas County Schools will once again have the opportunity to receive breakfast and lunch at no cost during the school day through the Community Eligibility Provision (CEP) program.
According to Nicholas County Schools, the CEP was enacted as part of the Healthy, Hunger-Free Kids Act and provides universal meal service to children in high-poverty areas.
The program serves as an alternative to collecting, approving and verifying household eligibility applications for free- and reduced-price meals. Schools qualify if at least 25% of their student population is directly certified for free meal benefits.
“I am proud that Nicholas County Schools will be participating in the CEP program to help meet a crucial need for many students in our county,” said Scott Cochran, Superintendent of Nicholas County Schools.
“We know academic achievement increases when our students are well-fed and ready to learn, and we must provide secure and reliable access to nutritious meals, so all students have a chance to achieve at the highest level possible.”
Nicholas County Schools expects 13 schools, including all elementary and secondary schools in the county, to participate in the program. School officials said the CEP allows the district to provide meals to nearly 3,000 students each day.
The school system also cited data from the 2017 Feeding America: Map the Meal Gap report, which found high levels of food insecurity across the country. In West Virginia, more than 14% of residents and more than 79,000 children live in food-insecure households.
For more information, contact Child Nutrition Director Sherrie Moul at 304-872-3611.
